Gov. Jerry Brown has one word for the Republicans running for president: "Appalling."
Well, he actually has more than one word. But that was his snap answer when The Bee's Ginger Rutland asked him what he thought of the GOP presidential primary. He also said the primary is getting a bit boring, that each candidates is "extreme" in their own special way, and that their policies would worsen gaps in society.
"They're so far out of it," said the governor, who was a Catholic seminarian in his younger day. "They're talking about birth control. I remember when I was in the seminary in 1960 and Dr. [John] Rock invented the pill and this was a controversy. Now, we're 50 years later ... This is crazy."
Brown noted that Catholic hospitals perform vasectomies and pay for Viagra for their employees.
"What's all that about? It's kind of crazy," Brown said. "They haven't brought that up in the Republicans debates. I can tell you from the old Catholic doctrine that sex for just pleasure is not part of the program, just for procreation. That's interfering with a number of religious sentiments."
Brown said Republicans Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are shooting themselves in their feet. That's helping President Barack Obama.
"What Obama needs to do is just be a reasonable man," said the governor, who used to run regularly for president. "He is not really rising. The others are falling. The stature gap is increasing."
